Keeping Secrets
by Em Dixon
Summary: Iroh had promised him that one day, he'd no longer feel like an awkward, unsure teenager. A chance encounter in the library put that assertion to the test. Zutara month 2015 prompts Secret Lovers and Caught.
1. Chapter 1

Zuko sighed as he walked down the palace hallway toward the library. After ten years of being Fire Lord, he didn't expect to be staying up late to research old laws from books hiding deep in the library. And here he was, getting ready to exchange one pile for another. Grumbling, Zuko pushed open the library doors and followed the aisles toward the politics section. Several librarians waved cheerfully at him. Truth be told, Zuko liked working in the library. He'd found a nice little nook by a window, and even if he did lose hours watching the world outside, he never minded. It was a very comforting place.

One thing he didn't expect to hear, though, was humming. Zuko stopped at the end of a row of shelves, and almost instantly he knew who it was. The tune was light and airy. Whimsical, his uncle would call it. With a deep breath, Zuko forced his feet to move, fully intending to walk past Katara, leaving her to complete her task while he finished his. It was late, he had lots of work to do over the next few days, he should really be getting some sleep. Zuko focused very hard on keeping his eyes in front of him as he walked and the humming grew louder. Why was he even acting this way? It wasn't like he hadn't stumbled across her before, exchanging pleasantries or a quick hug in the hallway before going about their business. They'd shared lunch in the gardens too many times to count, spent evenings talking about nothing and watching the turtleducks. Her presence in the palace was just as normal as anyone's. Half the time, when people were looking for Katara, they came to him. They were friends. Good friends. More than friends.

Slowly, Zuko peered around the bookshelves, and there she was, humming as she flipped through a book before shaking her head and putting it back. Zuko swore that he didn't notice a thousand little things about her, like the way that her hair was slightly damp, as if she'd just gotten out of the bath, or the specific way the corner of her mouth tilted upward when she was trying not to smile. He certainly pretended that he didn't notice the way that her robe slipped open as she stood on the tips of her toes to reach a book on a higher shelf, exposing just a hint of skin to him. And he certainly hadn't thought about that skin, because it would be inappropriate to think about the way that skin would feel against his. How soft and how pleasant, and would she smell more like summer rain or the southern sea, because those were two scents he always associated with her. Did she associate any smells with him? Did she think of him whenever she was by a warm fire? She'd once made an offhand comment about him and fire lilies, but he'd been too busy watching the way her mouth formed the words to pay attention. She'd been making him feel like an awkward teenager more and more lately, and he couldn't quite figure out how he felt about that. He was supposed to have grown out of his prolonged awkward teen phase. Uncle had promised him it wouldn't last forever, and yet here he was, a grown man still reduced to stumbling over his words.

Zuko groaned, hitting his head against the bookshelf. He was doing it again, letting his mind get lost in thoughts of her. And then he hit his head once more for good measure, cursing his stupidity, because now she was making a surprised noise and shuffling about, and she probably realized that he'd been standing there watching her like a creep for who knows how long.

"Zuko! Hi!" Katara hastily shoved a book behind her.

He didn't notice the way she took half a step toward him. He didn't notice the way she smiled at him, full and welcoming, didn't notice the way her cheeks colored an enchanting shade of pink. He didn't notice the way that her eyes roamed over him or the way she was taking a series of calming breaths.

"How long have you been here?"

Zuko tried to think of something normal people would say.

"I have books."

That was not a normal response to her question.

"I can see that," she said, with a beautiful laugh.

Zuko took a deep breath and walked into the alcove, setting his books on the table, and hoping like he'd never hoped before that he wasn't blushing. Honestly, he should be able to keep himself together better than this. They'd been best friends for years, had spent countless hours with each other. He'd watched her grow and become an incredible person with so much to offer the world. He'd been there as she matured and became an amazingly beautiful young woman…

"Did you need some help?" he said, stumbling over his words as he gestured toward her books.

"No, no," she said, turning a deeper shade of pink. "I can get it."

"You're not tall enough to reach the shelves."

"I can get a ladder."

"But I'm right here."

"I don't want to trouble you."

Zuko sighed. "I already know you read cheesy romance novels, Katara."

"Don't be silly, I wouldn't read that stuff."

Zuko couldn't help the smug smile as he gestured to the books around them. Four whole cases of exactly the kind of melodramatic, clichéd romance novels that bored, middle aged housewives and his uncle simply adored. Katara crossed her arms and huffed, turning her head slightly away from him. Try as he might, there was no way that he could keep his eyes off the curve of her neck, the way it flowed down to her collarbone, the way he could trace that down a few more inches before her robe hid her from him. And if he wasn't blushing before, he was then, because Katara was watching him from the corner of her eye, and maybe it was just his imagination, but Zuko could have sworn she took a few deep breaths, squeezing her arms tighter around herself and giving him a little glimpse of what was hidden beneath the robe. He licked his lips. She was naked underneath. Spirits help him.

"Maybe I could use your help," she whispered. Breathless.

Katara picked up a book from her pile, handed it to him, then pointed to a place on the shelf. Zuko tried to think of something to say, some topic to keep the conversation going, but his mind was too busy trying to not think of her without the robe, and really, this would all be so much easier if he could just force himself to say something, to just _ask her_ like an adult would do and not wish and hope like he was still an unsure sixteen year old. Since he didn't trust his brain to form a coherent sentence, he just stayed quiet and accepted each book she handed him until the pile was all gone and they were both left standing awkwardly with nothing to do.

"So…" She shrugged.

"I…" He took a step toward her, his heart beating so loudly that he could barely hear himself think. "Katara, I…"

She touched his hand and it was like lightning shot through him, and he threw caution out the window, closing the gap between them, and he didn't think they'd ever been this close before. Zuko ignored every alarm in his head and kissed her. She gasped, but her shock didn't last long. The nervousness bled out of Zuko the moment she firmly gripped his hand, lacing their fingers together, and he cupped her cheek, feeling a great swelling in his heart as she kissed him back. Her lips were incredibly soft, and she stepped closer, grabbing his shirt as she stood on the tips of her toes, pressing her body against his. Things were shifting inside of him and between them, and he moved his hand from her cheek to her neck, and she moaned, and there was no more space between them, but she kept pulling. When she opened her mouth to him, Zuko felt dizzy, letting go of her hand to hold her hip, as if that would keep him from falling, and when she ran her fingers through his hair, he knew that he had to move away from her, that his brain was going to completely shut down if he didn't take a moment to breathe.

When he stepped back, he could feel Katara resisting as if she didn't want to let him go, but she did, and with a few quick steps, Zuko was at the window, throwing it open wide. He took deep breaths hunched over the windowsill, trying to steady himself. His knees were weak. This was like his first kiss all over again only a thousand times more intense. He glanced over his shoulder, and Katara was standing there, her eyes closed and her fingers on her lips. Slowly, she looked at him, beautiful blue eyes almost glistening in the light. Then she smiled the most mischievous smile he'd ever seen her smile, and Zuko knew that, whatever happened next, there would be no going back.

"I wasn't sure," she said quietly.

Zuko turned to face her, sitting down in the window seat. He wanted desperately to say something to her, to explain that he'd wanted to tell her for years, but could never find the right words or the right time. He wanted to tell her how many times he'd thought about her and wondered if he was just making things up, or if she really did invite him into her room or if them going to the play together was really a date.

"I wasn't sure," he parroted back at her, rubbing his face with trembling hands.

"About me?" She came to him, standing between his legs. "Or about you?"

"All of it."

He took a chance and placed his hands on her legs. He pulled her closer, and when she leaned down, her hands on his shoulders, his stomach did a series of flips because she was kissing him again, and he didn't try to hold himself back anymore, because the longer she kissed him, the more sure he became. He was probably so red that he was glowing, but Zuko didn't care, tugging at Katara's legs until she straddled him and they were full on making out in the library like a pair of desperate teenagers. In the back of his mind, Zuko knew that the librarians would be making their final rounds for the night soon, and he didn't want to be caught like this, but he felt powerless to pull himself away from her. Her grip tightened on his shoulder when he stroked her tongue with his, and impulses were taking control and there were a thousand and one things going through his mind as he broke the kiss only long enough to find new places to explore, and he'd been right about things changing between them.

When he kissed her neck, Katara showed him a new side of herself, a side that he'd had one, maybe seven, dreams about that always left him shaking and sent him to do hours of vigorous firebending practice. He kissed her again, because the sound she made sent shivers down his spine, and she had one hand entangled in his hair, keeping him at a certain spot, and the other was lightly scratching his back. His name was a breathy whisper on her lips, and never had anything excited him more than the way she moved against him when his tongue touched her. She twitched, and he could feel _her_ , and they both froze.

"What are we doing?" Zuko whispered, using every ounce of willpower to pull away from her.

She was panting, and Zuko closed his eyes so he couldn't see the rapid rise and fall of her chest or the way she was licking her lips and smoothing her hair back. He repeated his question as he forced himself to let go of her legs as she stood and went to sit in a chair across from him. They'd moved beyond trembling and were flat out shaking.

"Maybe we should wait until our heads are clearer," Zuko said, adjusting his pants and keeping his focus on the floor.

"Right," she agreed. "Nothing good can come of hasty decisions made in the middle of the night."

"We should be responsible."

"Yes. Responsible. We've always been the responsible ones."

They looked at each other and nodded. Yes. In the morning, when their heads were clearer, they would revisit this idea. Because they were responsible adults, and that was what responsible adults did. Katara smiled at him, smoothed her robe and walked to the shelf to grab another book. Zuko watched her go for a book just out of her reach, and without hesitation, he went to help her. He smiled when she blushed, wishing his heart would stop with the rapid beating as he stood behind her, his hand resting lightly at her hip as he pulled the book down and handed it to her.

"That one, too," she said, pointing to one on the shelf above.

Zuko stepped forward, pushing her against the shelves as he reached for the book, his hand tightening on her hip just a little as she pushed into him. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of having her close and knowing with full certainty that he'd be awake all night thinking about her. He went for another book, pushing Katara right against the shelves, wondering if he wasn't maybe pushing things too much, because there was no way she could ignore him pressing into her. Suddenly self conscious, Zuko tried to take a step back, because they'd just said that they weren't going to do this, and he really needed to let his brain take control on this one, not his emotions. He'd probably only have one chance with Katara, and he couldn't let himself mess it up.

"I've had years to think about this," Katara said, grabbing his arm and keeping him from moving away. "And…I know how I feel about you. I know how happy I feel whenever I'm near you. I was done taking care of business here a month ago, Zuko."

"I know. I just…I didn't dare think you stayed because of me."

"I've always stayed because of you."

There weren't any words to describe just how happy that made him, and Zuko felt like laughing and crying and shouting to anyone that would listen that she stayed because of _him_. Smiling so wide his face hurt, Zuko spun Katara around and kissed her, loving the delighted little giggle as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and they were both giddy because this was probably really happening between them, and never had Zuko been happier about anything in his life. They stumbled back against the shelves as the giggles died away, and there were slow footsteps coming toward them, but Zuko was feeling bold and wonderful, deepening the kiss as Katara's knees buckled and she grabbed onto his waist for support, her nails digging into his sides. She pulled him closer, and he slid his hand down her back, exploring just a little, coming to rest on her bottom. Katara sighed against him, almost melting into him, and this time, Zuko found that he was the one moaning as she slid her hands under his shirt, her bare hands on his back.

"Now where did I put my list?"

It took a few moments for them to register that there was another voice in the library, let alone one that they knew. When it finally did register, Zuko and Katara sprung apart, hastily trying to fix their clothes, panic in their eyes. Zuko hoped that Katara would be more coherent than he was, because there were only two things that he could clearly think about, and his uncle's approach and how to explain their closeness were not among them. He watched Katara spin in a circle, tugging at her hair the way she always did when she was nervous, his mind starting to drift off again as she hastily shoved a stack of books in his arms.

"Oh, nephew," Iroh said as he peered into the alcove. "I didn't expect to see you still up."

Zuko blinked dumbly at his uncle, trying to find something that would sound plausible and knowing that Iroh had a unique ability to see straight through him. Even before he'd said anything, Iroh was already assessing the situation, looking at the labels on the shelves that denoted this as the romance section, clearly wondering what his nephew was doing there. Then his eyes shifted to the left where he saw Katara collecting books from the table and putting them back on the shelves, and then that stupid, sly, know it all smile slithered onto Iroh's face, and Zuko knew he had about five seconds to say something before Iroh came to his own conclusion.

"I'm helping," Zuko said hastily, trying to maintain eye contact. "I was just returning some books and saw Katara and she wanted me to get something for her."

He watched his uncle look between the two of them, then across aisle where there was a small step ladder that she could have used, then back at them.

"I did not see that there," Katara said slowly as she started to blush.

"I'm sure you didn't," Iroh said, his smile growing wider. "It is very dim over here. Not too good for reading."

"Uncle please—"

"I wouldn't want you two to strain…anything."

"I wasn't actually reading anything just yet," Katara said, stepping in front of Zuko. "I'd intended to just put these back, but I saw a few titles that caught my eye."

"I didn't think you liked these romance novels," Iroh said. "Might I suggest one of my favorites? It's called To Love in Secret, by—"

"No," Zuko cut in, grabbing Katara's arm and pulling her away from Iroh. "I'm sure she's got more than enough to read."

They could hear Iroh's soft chuckle as they quickly exited the library, closing the door behind them a little louder than they'd intended. Maybe the quick retreat wasn't the best strategy, as undoubtedly Iroh just solidified his own opinion of what was happening. It didn't matter if he was correct or not, Zuko didn't particularly want Iroh prying into his relationship this time, especially since he wasn't even sure what this relationship was.

Zuko sighed as Katara started off down the hallway, and he followed a few paces behind her. The adrenaline was finally starting to leave, and the long day was catching up with him. When he yawned, Katara looked over her shoulder at him and smiled, and it was beautiful and bright and undoubtedly happy. Zuko couldn't help smiling back, and his heart fluttered again. The day had certainly been a full one, and he let his mind drift as he looked at Katara, and how beautiful she was and how kind. How hard she worked to make the world better, and she always looked out for him and made sure that he was ok. He was so lost in thoughts of Katara that he didn't even realize when she'd stopped in front of a door. She laughed as she grabbed his arm to keep him from walking past her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

Zuko blushed, shrugging and trying to look nonchalant. "Well, goodnight, I guess. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Zuko, this is your room."

Zuko looked at the giant double doors engraved with a likeness of the Fire Lord's crown. "Yes. Well. It would appear so."

They shuffled awkwardly, and Zuko handed the books over, his hand lingering on hers. Heart thudding again, he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, then leaned in to kiss her. Katara stepped in to meet him, and Zuko put his hands on her hips, trying to remind himself of all the things he'd have to do in the morning, that they shouldn't rush into anything. But having her so close to him just felt incredibly good, and they'd both been pretty sure, right? And they could take their time and figure things out for themselves, so long as they avoided Iroh for a bit.

"Goodnight," Katara whispered, pulling away.

She turned away, but Zuko grabbed her hand, pulling her back to him, hoping he wouldn't sound foolish.

"Maybe… I mean…you're already here, you know. And it's pretty late." He shrugged. "I'd hate for you to walk all the way across the residential wing just to go to…bed."

They looked down the hallway, checking that it was empty.

"Are you sure?" Katara asked. "I wouldn't mind going to my room. I mean, if you didn't want me here."

"Do you want to stay?"

Zuko held his breath, waiting for an answer, trying not to berate himself for even asking. When she started to smile, he didn't let himself believe. When she bit her lip, Zuko fought against getting his hopes up. He didn't even let himself give in when she looked up at him through dark lashes, biting her lips and holding the books close to her chest.

"I very much want to."

He was so happy he could have passed out, and even as he opened the door and they both stepped inside, even as he closed it behind them, even as she dropped the books on a nearby table and threw her arms around him, kissing him more passionately than she had before, Zuko still couldn't believe what just happened or how lucky he was.

* * *

A/N: For Zutara Month 2015, prompts Secret Lovers and Caught mashed up and turned into a two-parter, because it was too tempting to pass up.


	2. Chapter 2

Zuko stared blankly at the ceiling. He really should have been out of bed half an hour ago, but he was finding it harder and harder to get an early start to his day. Before, he didn't have much reason to get back into bed after doing his sunrise meditations. The past few months had changed that. Drastically.

"Zuko?"

Katara rolled onto her back, her eyes mostly closed as she blindly reached out for him. She'd done the same thing, gesture for gesture, every morning, and it never failed to make him smile. Zuko slid his arm under her and brought her closer to him, kissing her bare shoulder as she settled halfway into sleep. There were certainly things that he could be taking care of, but all Zuko wanted to do was lay there in bed, tracing the curve of her hip as she mumbled his name and cuddled closer against him. Guilt was starting to nag at him, though. _Everyone_ was noticing a difference. He'd been late to four meetings, left his office promptly after dinner and made it very hard for people to find him, had on several occasions, actively avoided Iroh as he continued to smile like a sly tigerdillo. More than that, though, people were commenting on how often he was smiling. Particularly Iroh. You look happy, nephew, he would say. I can't remember the last time I saw you smile this much, nephew. You look carefree, nephew, I wonder what's changed. Zuko sighed. And as if Iroh prying wasn't enough, Hakoda was questioning when Katara was coming back, and Sokka absolutely wasn't buying her excuse that Zuko was helping her build on the weapons training Suki had given her. Sokka had even written Zuko, telling him to send Katara back so he could teach her "proper" sword fighting, and not the "two handed nonsense" that he did.

"Katara, I have to go, now. I promised uncle we'd have a late breakfast together."

He hadn't even so much as taken her to the weapons room. In fact, there was only one thing even vaguely sword like that she'd had in her hands the whole time she'd been there…

"Stay with me."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, and Zuko could feel her lips on his back. He shivered, closing his eyes and telling himself that he didn't have much of a choice. After breakfast, he had a meeting, and he really shouldn't be late. They could always meet for lunch. When she kissed his back, tightening her arms around him, Zuko almost gave in. It would be such an easy, indulgent thing to stay there with her. She was sweetening the deal by kissing her way up to his shoulder, then his neck, and when she laid her head on his shoulder, he was ready to give in and just lounge the day away. He'd given the Fire Nation every ounce of his attention for ten years. Was it so bad that he was taking some time for himself these past few months? And if it weren't for someone knocking at his door, he just might have laid down next to her again.

Reluctantly, Zuko got out of bed, grabbing a shirt on his way to the anteroom. Then he made the mistake of looking over his shoulder as she swung her slender legs over the edge of the bed, fully aware of what she was doing as she yawned, stretching and thrusting her chest out. She was naked, and there was nothing to hide the sway of her hips as she walked to the vanity to grab her robe, cinching the belt around her waist before coming to stand at the double doors to the bedroom. Whomever was knocking could wait just a little longer, and Zuko closed the gap between them with a few long strides, almost crashing into Katara with enough force to knock her over, his hand at the base of her neck as he kissed her. She stepped into him, her hands against his chest as she stroked his tongue with hers. The kiss wasn't nearly as long as he would have liked; Katara gently pushed against his chest, shooing him as she smiled seductively and mouthed "later." She closed the doors to the bedroom, and Zuko took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself before answering the door.

And it was a good thing he did.

"Ahh, nephew, I was wondering how long it would take you to answer."

Zuko tried to smile for his uncle as he entered the room with a tray with a light breakfast, but he couldn't help thinking of Katara, and how he'd much rather have breakfast with her. He was really enjoying getting to know this new side of her. He'd always known her to be a passionate person, and she certainly loved just as hard as she fought. …Loved? It was too soon to call it love; they were probably still just infatuated with each other. Everything was still new and amazing and they couldn't keep their hands off each other, making out in dark corners and library nooks. She made him feel light and giddy, and when he was with her, it felt like the world came into perspective. She made him feel his age. No one would say that they were the fun ones in their group of friends, but they always had fun together, and when he had to return to work, he never felt the burden as heavily as he did before their first kiss.

"Nephew? Did you hear anything I said?"

He hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath, let alone that Iroh was talking to him. Zuko took three deep breaths, ran his hands through his hair. His heart was beating a thousand times in a minute, and he felt sure that his mind was going to explode. When Iroh patted the space next to him, Zuko practically fell onto the couch.

"Sorry," he said. "I've been really distracted lately."

"So we've all noticed."

Iroh smiled pleasantly, and Zuko knew that they were going to have this conversation, whether he wanted to or not. And he absolutely did not. Not alone, and not with Katara listening on the other side of the door. He didn't want to have this conversation with too many realizations floating around his head, and his palms were sweaty and his heart was fluttering. He couldn't imagine his life without her friendship, but how would he feel if suddenly they weren't…together?

"Love is a very powerful thing," Iroh said gently, patting Zuko's knee.

"Who said anything about love?"

"I'm not so old that I don't remember being a young man in love, dear nephew."

Zuko glanced at the door, then realized his mistake as Iroh's eyes followed his. With a chuckle, Iroh went to the small desk in the corner and wrote something on a scrap of paper, then handed it to Zuko. _Is she in your room?_ The obvious way to handle this would be to simply shake his head, but no, Zuko's brain clearly was too full of blue eyes and a bright smile to do the simple thing, and he stuttered, his face completely red as Iroh nodded. Jumping out of the window seemed like a perfectly reasonable response to this situation.

"Oh, my nephew. Let's play a game."

"Let's not play a game."

"I wonder if I can guess who your lady friend is." Zuko started to protest, and Iroh held his hand up. "You are not required to give me her name, and I will not ask for it. But tell me, does her family know? Are you afraid of their response?"

Zuko took a deep breath, held it, and slowly released it, trying to calm his mind and giving himself time to think. It would be pointless to try and avoid Iroh's game. He'd go away and come back when Zuko was even more unprepared, and he'd be powerless to stop his uncle. As for their family, how _would_ they react? There was no need to wonder about Iroh. It was very clear that he'd be beyond happy. Sokka would probably be ok. In fact, Zuko was probably on an incredibly short list of people Sokka would approve of for his sister. He'd probably encourage it, because then they'd be brothers. Maybe Hakoda would be more apprehensive about it, but that would have less to do with them and more to do with who Katara would become.

"Then you think they would be ok with this relationship?"

"I think so," Zuko said, shrugging. "Yeah. Yeah, probably."

"I think your family would trust your judgment and know that you are following your heart. We want you to be happy, and certainly you've seemed much happier these past months."

Something told Zuko that Iroh already knew the answers to half the questions he would ask. Still, he nodded slightly.

"And Katara? I assume you've told her. What does she think of this new woman in your life?"

Zuko swallowed thickly; he couldn't help looking toward the door. "I…I don't know what she thinks. I mean, I know what she thinks of the girl, but I don't know what she thinks of…us."

He imagined her sitting on the other side of the door, perhaps with her back against it, listening to Iroh probe his feelings about this "mystery woman." He imagined her hugging her knees to her chest, maybe waiting for him to say something that…what? Would shock her? Surprise her? Reveal something to her? They'd never talked much about a future for their relationship. In his mind, he'd already pictured her in full Fire Lady regalia, had already imagined her with a crown, but mostly he just pictured her as she was, beautiful and loving, with a bright smile as she laid next to him every night. Iroh nodded toward the door a few times, and Zuko felt his face heating up, trying to ignore what Iroh was now writing on the paper, going so far as to sit on his hands so Iroh couldn't give it to him.

"I think Katara would be very invested in your happiness," Iroh said, insistently nodding toward the door and pointing at the slip of paper he'd placed between them.

 _Now is the time to tell her how you feel_ , the note said. _Every woman wants to know how loved she is, even one as strong as her. Make her feel like a lady. Let her know it's more than the thrill of a secret romance that keeps you coming back to her._

Zuko blinked dumbly at his uncle before slowly narrowing his eyes. Iroh smiled encouragingly. He knew. _He knew._

"You're making a lot of assumptions, uncle," Zuko muttered, accepting the cup of tea Iroh was handing him.

Iroh must have seen this as Zuko admitting defeat. Suddenly, there were two more cups on the tray, or maybe there had always been three cups, and Iroh filled them with tea, nodding as he sipped his. Zuko could already feel his cheeks heating up. Why was his uncle so calm? What was he planning? When had he found out?

"I always loved the little breakfasts you, Katara and I would share," Iroh said, smiling toward the door. "I would very much appreciate it if she would join us, now."

Zuko stared at the side of his uncle's head while he waited to see what Katara could do. Part of him thought that there wasn't much reason to keep up this charade. Iroh would hound them until they admitted that there was something between them. He was sure there was a way to wear him down with constant denials and being extremely careful about what they did where, but…why? How wonderful would it be to walk down the hallways, holding her hand? To give her a kiss before a meeting and tell her he'll see her when it's done? That he'll see her that evening? How comforting would it be to have her on his arm during all those stupid parties he had to throw for visiting dignitaries? How amazing to have her so close to him, and to be able to slip his arm around her waist and just hold her…

"Oh, nephew…"

Iroh patted Zuko's knee, and he felt hotter than a thousand suns. Katara was standing in the doorway to his bedroom, nervously twisting the belt of her robe as she smiled at them. She sat down next to Zuko, accepting the cup that Iroh handed her, and his heart was beating so quickly that he was sure he'd pass out.

"How long have you known?" Katara whispered. "W…was it that obvious?"

"To others, I don't know," Iroh said with a light chuckle. "But I heard you the first night I caught you in the library. You didn't see me the first time I came by, so I gave you some time and then walked past again."

"Uncle, you…" Zuko groaned, vigorously rubbing his face. "You could have just _said_ something."

"So could you, nephew."

Iroh gave them his biggest, brightest smile, served them food, then immediately started asking for details. Halfway through the very awkward conversation, Zuko realized that Katara's leg was touching his, and it was such a natural way for them to be, and he placed his hand on her knee. She was laughing at something Iroh said, but he saw her look at him through dark lashes, and his heart did a thousand little flips. Maybe there was still some infatuation between them, but Zuko couldn't deny the way his whole being felt when he was near her. It just felt _right_.

Neither one of them noticed when Iroh quietly felt the room.


End file.
